New York became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in WNBA history, and Sabrina Ionescu made clear the Liberty never saw themselves as underdogs.
The New York Liberty finished a two-game sweep of the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Their 87-71 win made them the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the WNBA's 30-year history.
Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points, seven assists, and four made 3-pointers. She spoke with USA Sports on the court after the final horn, in an interview the outlet posted to X later that night.
People had counted New York out, Ionescu said, but the Liberty had not counted themselves out.
"We know we're not a traditional 8 seed," Ionescu said. "We understand once the playoffs come, it's a new season and we got to do what we got to do. We got to come out, turn the page and be the best team that we can be. And obviously this arena helped us tonight."
Liberty Take Control Early
Jonquel Jones led New York with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Breanna Stewart added 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Two days earlier, Stewart had 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 91-75 win in Game 1 at Target Center in Minneapolis. Ionescu scored 13 points in that game.
The Liberty opened Tuesday on a 9-1 run and led by five after one quarter. With 2:39 left in the half, the lead was 40-35. New York then scored nine of the final 11 points of the second quarter to go up 49-37 at the break.
Minnesota never led.
With 6:26 left in the third quarter and New York up 52-39, Stewart drove to the basket and was hit in the face by Olivia Miles on a block attempt. Officials reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 1.
As Stewart walked off the court, she raised her hands to the sellout crowd of 17,593, which answered with M-V-P chants. She made both free throws.
The Lynx did not get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Lynx Stars Struggle in Elimination Game
Miles finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting in 17 minutes. She was named Rookie of the Year unanimously on Monday, the same day Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve won Coach of the Year.
In Game 1, Miles had 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 18 points on 17 shots. Napheesa Collier added 14 points on 14 shots, and the Lynx shot 38.2% from the field.
Minnesota went 33-11 in the regular season and was the No. 1 seed for the second straight year. The series was a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, which New York won.
Ionescu Says Liberty Have 'More to Do'
The season has been a roller coaster for New York, which entered the playoffs with injury questions around Stewart and Jones. Tuesday was the Liberty's first home game of the postseason.
"It's meant everything for us this entire season," Ionescu explained. "Obviously, it's been a roller coaster, but we wouldn't be here without you guys and we have more to do."
A year ago, New York was the No. 5 seed and won Game 1 of its first-round series against the Phoenix Mercury. The Liberty lost the next two.
Tuesday's plan, for Ionescu, is the same one New York carries into the semifinals.
"To do whatever it takes to win, no matter what," Ionescu said. "We understood the job wasn't finished. We had to come out. We had to finish this series. And now we got to go on to the next and do the exact same thing."
Liberty Advance to Semifinals
The WNBA adopted its current playoff format in 2022, with the top eight teams advancing to the first round. Many of the league's earlier formats did not allow a No. 1 seed and a No. 8 seed to meet, according to The Associated Press.
New York will face the winner of the Atlanta Dream-Washington Mystics series. Rhyne Howard had 26 points and five steals when Atlanta won Game 1 of that first-round series on Sunday, and Game 2 is Wednesday night in Washington.
The semifinals begin Sunday.
